Production Project 2 , Blog Reflection – Objectives

As we leave PP1 and Embark on a new journey into PP2, certain questions were raised as we venture through out learning journey.

This semester proves to be en exciting one as we are not being taught in the conventional "lecture-tutorial-exams" , instead we would be working hand in had with the McClelland Gallery 2010 Sculpture Survey Awards, this will be more like a job than a project and there is no room for failures! I can see that the gallery trust RMIT students enough to endorse us with such a personal encounter with the artists themselves.

Some of the areas that wish to look into are actually the Questions i need to ask the artists. I believe there doesn't seem to be a template around that we can follow and everything pretty much seems to depend on us to come up with. Well there are grey areas in this project, but also a lot of free space for us to expand on the creative side. Well most (in fact all) of the class have concerns on the technical side, like miking techniques and software, My concern is on the content side. I do hope we can work something out. while my classmates are taking crash courses on sound, I do wish to expand on the creative side of this project, I also wish to use a software that i am comfortable with, in fact, this may sound like a joke, but i am rather proficient in garageband. I like it so much that i stopped using cuebase and reason4 for my music production! HAHA All software works the same, you just gotta get used to the tools. 

Honestly, I have no idea what the final product would be like. I hope it will not be as boring as the audio projects i've came across online, there must be a way to make this vibrant and yet we must work bearing in mind that this project is not to show case our work, but to showcase the artists themselves. 

right now i'm recording sounds around the house as the first assignment. lets see what where we can go from here!

PP1 Final refections.

When we first enrolled into production project 1, I learnt what it is to be a social media producer.
we were asked questions about what social media is, what's new media, and learnt about  convergence culture. we were asked what a social media producer is and i reflected my thoughts in this blogpost http://pop-the-cherry.blogspot.com/2010/03/social-media-producer.html .

throughout the course, I start to get a better grasp of what being a social media producer is all about.
We were tasked to set out to promote a content site called pool.org.au featuring a creative group themed "MYTRIBE" which all of you must have heard about.

My initial goals were to find musicians to post content up on pool as my tutorial group's task is to create an audio clip to be featured on ABC's 360 documentary radio show. I thought that it would be a creative outlet for people to post their work, but i did not understand that what they were looking for is an interesting story, not music. a write up on my initial goals can be found here :
 http://pop-the-cherry.blogspot.com/2010/04/assignment-1-job-plan-what-network-or.html

initially, i was unclear of what this course will teach me, as i was suddenly tasked with alot of things to do and not many lessons. it's just like working. but after a while i come to realized that this is good. what i learnt from this course cannot be thought from school. we set out to create something together and learn how the social media world works and how fast it is changing. gone are the days where students sit in classrooms and wait for teachers to spoon feed them.  we are all preparing ourselves for a future that is unpredictable, jobs that yet to exist and to solve problems that are not yet problems. Hack, the term "social media producer" was not even heard of 5 years ago! many of the most sought after jobs now were not even around 10 years ago! So, my point is, I like what i learnt from this course, and that i see myself being more intune with the current media technology.

Another big assignment we have is 'Content Producer"

Many of you have probably heard about my flashmob event that is used to create awareness about our boardgaming project. Yes i know it's irrelevant. But isn't that life? Life itself is irrelevant. without the flashmob, not many people would know what we are doing. Content is a very important aspect of social media and viral marketing. thats how things or "memes" as richard dawkins (which i am a fan of) coined, get passed down by people. it's a people generated marketing tool. We needed something that people would care to share with their friends. not everybody is interested in looking at a buch of guys playing boardgames. I mean, they might get interested, but it;s not eye catching.
a flashmob is.
in two weeks, our video had generated over 100 views, and thats only on youtube, the video has been uploaded to many sites like pool, facebook, friendster, myspace video and personal blogs. It's the awareness that counts.
In this content producer project, I'm grouped with scott mitchell and elliot heatwole. though i dare say that most of the work is delegated and spearheaded by me. As all of you know, our project revolves around boardgaming in melbourne, shedding light on a group of dudes that get together every thursday to play boardgames.
I went down on many occasions to play boardgames with them as well as to interact with them to understand the boardgaming scene better. This helped me alot is gaining PR skills as i have to choose my words correctly and get them to like me and accept me as one of them before they get comfortable to share with me their thoughts.

you can check out our site here : http://boardgamersproject.wordpress.com/

My overall assestment for myself in PP1 is around 75% . I tried my best to pitch MYTRIBE on various radio programs , adopting the role of a social media producer. infact , i have to be a social media producer as well as a content producer for my own webcast. pool had been fun, and i posted some of my work on pool, the feed back i got was generally positive and constructive. But i realised that my original work is more popular than my remixes or other's work.
One of my song that got the most feedback, was featured in SIM -RMIT communication design's graduation showcase promo video.
you can see this video here : http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1348094056175&ref=mf
and their website: http://www.imquisitive.com/

you can also see my other works on pool here : http://www.pool.org.au/users/chrisp

getting my work used, (paid or not) is signs of success at being a content producer or a social media producer.

we are in a non-stop learning process in this ever changing industry. lets see what PP2 can bring us!

Production Project 2 Task description One – Studio Research and Development


KCSN 88.5fm art news interview with Robert Williams

Robert Williams is a very popular artist and cartoonist. He is famous for his provocative paintings about the modern world painting things that most people are not proud of which is what he calls "conceptual realism". His works are mainly psychedelic and underground and founded the "juxtapose magazine"

The interview is very light hearted and the interview questions seem impromptu and only a few questions seem to be scripted. the interview sounds more like a conversation discussing on why the artist decided to go into a different type of art and his road to success. The interview seem to be unedited. 

Music was very well used in the interview, with a subtle psychedelic music in the playground , giving a very good feel about his story on doing psychedelic art. while he was talking about his younger days, a soft rock music was played at the background , seems to lets us immerse more comfortably into the interview and puts a feel of nostalgia as the old soft rock was played signifying his wild younger days which the audiences can associate with.

This is one of the better interviews and i would make my own interview a littlebit more formal but learn to make use of music and sound effects to better enhance the feeling of the interview, to let the listeners immerse themselves comfortably into the artist's stories.

Link to interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzIjadLdLfc

Production Project 2 Task description One – Studio Research and Development

ABC interview with Australian Artist Kaye Green

Kaye Green, a young artist 30 years ago, left tasmania for new mexico, USA to pursue her dreams in art by studying in the university of new mexico. She was responsible for the revival of traditional printmaking art, which i personally did before. 

The interview generaly revolves around how she started her career as an artist, her younger life and reasons of why she left australia for america.

once again music was used very minimally, as the artist talked, there is no music , no effects and nothing interesting other than a whimsical tune played before and after the interview as intro and outros.

The questions structured in the interview are very very open-ended and ensured the artist to tell a long story about herself rather than the need for the interviewer to keep asking question. the setting is casual too , as if it was a conversation over coffee and cigarettes. with this techniques, we can milk more information from the artist as she is relaxed and willing to share more.

Link to the interview:

http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/2010/02/aks_20100221_1037.mp3

Production Project 2 Task description One – Studio Research and Development


1: BBC's Interview with Andy Warhol.

Andy Warhol, one of the most renowned pop artists in the world, famous for his vectored work and iconic paintings of Campbell's soup cans and coke bottles. This modern artist needs no introduction when his name is heard.

In 1981, BBC 3 did a radio interview with Andy Warhol and The interview was done in a rather causal way (if you ignore the thick british accent), asking Andy about his thoughts and feelings about his work. The interview seems personal and the questions revolve around the philosophical and social issues surrounding his works rather than questioning his skills and techniques. 

The interview is simple and almost un-edited. Even if it was edited, one cannot tell that it is as the interviews seemed seamless. Minimal music were used, and as it was done in 1981 on BBC, the interview was rather prim and proper with no frills and fancy riff raffs. From this work, i learn how to structure my questions, to understand the artist from within, to try to findout what the artist is trying to tell the world through his works, the inner feels and background story to his works.

Link to the interview:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/audiointerviews/profilepages/warhola1.shtml 

MEDIA INDUSTRIES ONE.

Personal reflection on research project.

When i first ventured into RMIT University, I thought to myself, "why did I take up a media course?" That was a question I ought to ask myself seven years ago when i opted for film school back in Singapore. The obvious answer is that I have always found the media industry fascinating. Things are ever changing, fast paced. People in the media industry are always at the forefront of current affairs, knowing what is popular and Being popular them selves. There is so much creativity in the air.

And so taking up a media degree for me, is to learn how to get a better footing within the media industry.

and well, On my first week of school, I was introduced this course "Media Industries 1" The name of this course itself seem to hold the key to whatever I seek to learn from the university. I pictured this course to be filled with cameras, and technicalities, to be abundant with learning the intricacies of how a media company works. but i came to realize that i was wrong as i learn more about this course, and of course, my role in the research project change.

ROLE

At the Beginning, god created the universe. This was highly frowned upon and was widely regarded as a bad move.(Douglas Adams, The hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy, penguin books, 1987 ,p1) this , is besides the point, much much later, at the beginning of this semester,  we were tasked to form groups to research into area of interest. Having a background in events management, and also running an events production company back in Singapore, I decided quite firmly that i should research into something that will greatly benefit both my school work and my career; Events was the way to go. but first, i got to find people who would research the same topic as i would, and that was not easy ; as i have to explain how "events" can fall under the media industry. and Thus, my first role was born. The 'hustler'. I had to go around the classroom, preying on aimless souls that look somewhat responsible, then i would pitch my idea to them. It all went well, i got 2 group mates   and went right into brainstorming for ideas. Having the most experience in the events sector among the three of us, My role evolved into a role of 'the leader'. Primary ideas of the research was made by me , when i guided the trio in the direction i envision our group to go to. Heaps of useful contributions were given and where we finally settled for our research questions. From then, our group grew bigger with the addition of llhoon , daniel and elyn, who did not have a group for various reasons and joined our group. Then, i encouraged Leonard, who have a neutral point of view on situations, to be the group leader. His responsible attitude and the keenness on the research proved that he can be a much better leader than me while i concentrate on the research topic. From there i evolved into the motivator of the group, where i would constantly share new findings and motivate others to contribute to the group research. As the project progressed, I seem to take on the role of the Group's Public Relations or Liaison personnel, Having to explain the fundamental ideas of our research at every meeting and every presentation. I wouldn't say that i'm eloquent but well, I’m the most outspoken member in the group. So, in the end I believe that I had led the group in this research journey with the help of Leonard who we all can't do without.

PROGRESS

When The research journey started, we didn't really know what we were going in for. All we knew was that we were researching on new ways to do events. Ideas were everywhere and we did not have a certain diction we were heading to. slowly, after initial research, we started to see some progress as we narrowed down the topic of research. We all came into agreement that we were going to research on something along the lines of "Events being held online" and "incorporating new media into events".  This was good and tasks were delegated to members that

have a specific ability in the task.  (much like the fantastic 4). Elyn, with her social powers and her relations with the Melbourne club scene, was sent to collect information and interviews of how local clubs run their events with the aid of Social media. IIHoon, with his extraordinary pebbling skills was tasked the same job and including attending festivals to find out more. Julian , with his extreme knowledge of the internet was tasked with creating and conducting an online survey to do a  quantitative  analysis  of what people think of our research. Leonard and I  , armed with our experience with events, set out on a journey to seek the answers behind virtual events and how to make money out of them. Daniel…. well, daniel was not around most of the time and he left the course shortly. so lets leave him out of the picture from now on.

    As we progress, we can see the strength and capabilities of each member blossom as we understand the topic more and more. Personally, I feel that it is a breeze to research this topic as it is something I’m truly interested in. and by doing so i have greatly benefited from it.

STRATEGIES

Ah, Strategies, the cornerstone of every successful research project. from the start, we had been cooking up a strategy that will be the most effective for our group. for our research, the strategy was to separate the work load equally amongst the members ;according to each individual's strengths. (as explained above). having broken up the workload, saves us time and energy and of course it can widen the horizons of our research. After gathering the information, we would then relay it to the members in the meetings and we will try to piece the information together, making them relate to one another. This is a collaborative strategy too, as though we were researching different things, we were collectively working towards the same primary objective ('primary question' in this case). Personally, my earning strategy is to search the internet. where else better to look for virtual events than in a virtual environment? I set my self a few keywords and i went ahead, looking from sites that have a history of holding a virtual event. I also asked my net savvy friends if they had heard of anything relating to my research and too learnt from them. I believe all our strategies worked well and did not come across much hiccups during the research.

PROBLEMS

once again, other than my chronic lateness, and Daniel’s problems and absence, our group faced little or no problems. Initially, Our group faced a little problem with communication, as our group was relatively large.  These problems had have been resolved by tightening communication lines between group members, setting up a communication platform where all members can access frequently (facebook).

CONNECTIONS & INTERSECTIONS

The research information i learnt from this course is useful. But the experience i gathered is priceless. I think the way this course is designed to teach students is very effective. Gone are the days where the teacher just teaches out of theory, and the students just absorb like robots. We have to learn how to be independent learners to better prepare ourselves for jobs that yet to exist, to solve problems that are not yet problems. as the saying goes, "instead of giving a man a fish, teach him how to fish." Now it's not enough to teach him how to fish. you got to teach him how to find out how to catch a fish that has yet to exist.

So, overall, I've learnt the importance of good communication, networking and people skills. Communication is so important now that things cannot be done without it. The need to stay connected, the need to relay a message properly to another, is so important; i cannot stress how important it is. Next, i've learnt that networking is paramount to the success of any venture or individual. It's not about what you can do, how good you are or what your qualifications are. It's all about the people you know. Having a good network of contacts ensures that you are at the forefront of information, and in this fast paced dog-eat-dog world, information is your best weapon. Having good contacts can open the doors to many wonderful opportunities that you won't even dream of, be it the media industry or any industry, networking is the key to success. And yup, in doing a group research too, if we knew no one, we would not have gotten a lot of information and interviews. Another thing is people skills. You can have the best contacts in the world through networking, but if you don't have the right people skills, it like having a body odor, no one will be around for you.

From what i have learnt in the research project, i can say that it will greatly benefit my personal research project for business opportunities for my Events Company back in Singapore. The research done can help me break into the Online market and also help me get a better understanding of the Melbourne events industry giving me a foot-in-the door to penetrate this immense and vibrant market. The research on the use of new media on traditional events is very relevant on my events project where I can learn effective ways of applying  social media networks, blogs, online advertising, instant messaging etc. to help promote future events.

In conclusion, this project Topic and research question is beneficial for me in both academic and business fields. The project workflow is now healthy with workload spreader efficiently among members and a great deal has been learnt through our current research. And also, the experience gathered from this research journey, the social skills, people skills, communication skills and networking, will greatly empower my ability to succeed in my venture and life. The research journey never ends as we learn more an more about the future of virtual events.

PP2 studio Project reflections.

For the Next semester, I will be embarking on Production Project 2, after

completing Production Project 1.

I will be doing:

Sound Studio Project,

Headed by and with guidance from Robbie Rowlands, we  will be concentrating on a selection of  

artist participating in the McClelland Gallery 2010 Sculpture Survey &  

Award. This is one of the richest sculpture awards in Australia with  

the main prize valued at $100,000. The show displays a wide range of  

contemporary artworks in different media and styles by both  

established and emerging artists. and also, under the guidance of the gallery will have direct  

access to these artists and their studio environments. The aim is to  

create a series of short audio profile documentaries that give insight  

into the artists practice and their studio environments.(source: PP2 Course Guide, RMIT 2001)

Towards this Project, I have no worries at all. Having come from a sound engineering back ground, I've alot of experience with sound equipment, miking techniques and sound editing. Though my experience is mainly on live sound and any recording experience i have is either with Film or music production. This is something new. It has to be creative profile on the artists. It may sound boring and limited, but we will explore on what we can do. 

In the last lesson, all of us had agreed on individual works, which i am happy for, since i am quite an effective lone worker due to my erratic schedules. there is one particular artist i take interest to and would like to do the profile on him. Well, my interest is on his Artwork. here is one example:

I like the futuristic and minimalistic look of his work. this particular one is named "Turbine in black" and  is part of a series of "turbines" and other artwork done using acrylic. I should be fun to compose some futuristic music to go with his profile. But first I'll have to find an interview with him.

We were given some ideas like recording the sculpting sounds, e.g the buzzing or the saw or sander.

we can find music relevant to artist's theme, or in my case, i rather produce the music myself. But i do have to bear in mind that this is the Artist's showcase. not mine. My job is to bask him in the light of glamour, then hide my self in the shadow. haha.

The topic of the profile does not need to be confined to the gallery, can extend to anything related to the artist or his artwork.Other than the artwork it self, the artist might be involved in other issues, spreading messages. can tap into that.

I will learn more about them as i get to interview the artists.

I believe i have to interview the artists with a layman point of view, in order for the profile to be more understandable to the general public, capturing their interest into the world of art :pretty much like a foot in the door method before throwing artistic jargons like "neo-realist" or "juxtaposing through cubism" at them.

To facilitate this project, RMIT had put together alot of advanced skills workshop. I choose the sound workshops as i expected the world "advanced" to be.... well, "advanced." the first workshop touched on the basics of sound, something i learnt some 7 years ago. Not to say that i am competent, but i asked to leave the class as i have nothing much to learn there.

the next 2 lessons were on protools. I was an avid user of protools (pun not intended), Cuebase, logic, reason and garageband. but I stopped using protools some 5 years back. as it was really expensive to buy back then. i saw this as a chance for me to brush up my protools skills. The lesson was quite basic though. but the tech that was teaching us know his stuff very well, i learnt quite a few tips and tricks and got the hang of protools now. everything's coming back.

I would be more comfortable with cuebase, but protools will do just fine and besides,it's free equipment from school, might as well make use of it. All in all, I am anticipating a fun and enriching project and i'm sure i can ace this.

Sources:
all images and information on the artist are from http://www.geoffreybartlett.com/